Most travelers hoping to visit Alaska plan their trips during the summer months in hopes of warm weather. However, springtime in Alaska offers incredible opportunities to view wildlife as the herring spawn gets into full swing. This event that spans up to three weeks attracts not only Bald Eagles feeding on the fish and gulls…

Winter of the Fisher by Cameron Langford ©1971 Yes, that is correct… this book was published in 1971. My mother’s church was cleaning out their library and when she saw the book in a stack on the “please take before they get tossed” table, she thought I might enjoy it. The book follows the life…

They’re here! The conditions were finally right. It had rained off and on all day yesterday and the temperature hovered in the mid-40’s F. A drenching rain came before sundown and the temperature held. Lisa and I had a leisurely dinner, prepared the camera equipment and headlamps and left the house around 8:45 PM. We…

In North America the Continental Divide rises from the Midwest plains to create the beautiful and majestic Rocky Mountains. Extending from northern Canada south into New Mexico, the Rockies offer incredible birding, wildlife and photography opportunities. Of the many locations in which I have hiked — including the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, the Grand…

The signs at the Black Rock Sanctuary in Chester County, PA are fun and informative. This sign discusses bird beaks on one side and bird feet on the other. It is surrounded by a replica bird nest and overlooks a wetland area. Lisa and I have been exploring locally, something I have not done much…

The humble beginnings of the PA YOUNG BIRDERS CLUB on March 21, 2009   It finally happened! Our first official meeting of the PA Young Birders Club! We had 12 total in attendance, 6 adults (including me) and six kids ages 7 – 14. This first meeting was an introduction to the club and the…

I was reminded this morning of how important it is to share nature with everyone you meet. There has been an ongoing discussion on the Birdchat Listserv community about the number of birders/birdwatchers in the USA. My opinion? Nearly everyone enjoys birds. From the old man in the park feeding the pigeons, to the backyard…

We spent a few hours this morning in the shadow of Tanzania’s two highest peaks Kilimanjaro and Meru, at about an elevation of 5 to 6000 feet. Juts outside our lodge we found a huge Hamerkop nest in a Yellow-barked Acacia and had Maasai Giraffes wandering about near the road. The tall dense forest is…

Before heading out the park to the Tanzanian border we worked our way along the Enkongo Narok Swamp (above) passed the Observation Hill to the Sinet Causeway. In the drier areas we came across Fischer’s Sparrow Lark’s and Red-capped Larks and a perfectly camouflaged Spotted Thick-knee (right) under a bush. We finally found a couple…

Birds are everywhere. From the frozen environs of Antarctica to the boiling Sahara Desert, birds can be found all over the world. The highest diversity of species are found in places like Colombia and Peru, places with mountains and coast, desert and forest. Pennsylvania has recorded over 300 species within its borders. Though 300 seems…

Dry as a bone is the only way to describe Amboseli Nature Park at the moment. We took the better of the two roads across the dry lake bed seeing a wonderful wide mirage that gave the impression it actually held water in it. Equally impressive were silhouettes of Maasai Giraffe, Elephants, Common Zebra and…

Today we made a loop through the southern Central Highlands to find 3 Kenyan endemics. beginning at the Wajee Nature Reserve (see early blog) we had good views of our first endemic, the Hinde’s Babbler as they moved through the lower section of the sanctuary. Walking up a narrow trail in the woods to look…